


So There I Was, Driving Behind This Truck Full of Tomatoes

by GretchenSinister



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Dark Jack, Healing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21997228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GretchenSinister/pseuds/GretchenSinister
Summary: Original Prompt: "Okay so I’ve had this idea for a fic in my head since I saw RotG but I’ve been too busy with school to actually write it out, so I’m giving it to you lovely people :)Basically, after the events of the film, Jack is persuaded to join Pitch. The two of them become an evil duo, and Jack is feared by children all across the globe. What he doesn’t know is that Pitch doesn’t care about him whatsoever. The Nightmare King is simply using him to raise his army of Nightmares or whatever, up to filler what his actual plan is. Anyway, so one night Jack finds himself in Jamie’s room, about to release a Nightmare on him, but Jamie wakes up. Jack is surprised to learn that despite all the terrible stories told by other children, Jamie never stopped believing in him and loving him, and Jack misses it. He misses being loved instead of feared, he misses having fun that wasn’t mixed with fear, he misses being a Guardian. But he won’t admit it. So Jamie helps him. Jamie helps bring Jack back to his good self and away from all the evil. It takes a while, but in the end...[cut for length]"Jamie is saving the world very quietly. And he wants to save Jack, in particular, more than ever.
Relationships: Jamie Bennett/Jack Frost
Kudos: 15
Collections: Bennefrost Short Fics





	So There I Was, Driving Behind This Truck Full of Tomatoes

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 8/2/2013.
> 
> Here's the rest of the prompt: "Pitch is a lot weaker without Jack and Jack is grateful to Jamie, and has fallen in love with the boy (I don’t care what age you make Jamie).
> 
> TL;DR: Jack joins forces with Pitch, becomes evil, and Jamie helps bring him back. They fall in love.
> 
> Sorry if that was a little incoherent, this is my first time prompting for this fandom"

Jack is standing in Jamie’s room, looking much more like he did, what was it, eight years ago, when Jamie first met him, than he did when he reappeared two years ago. But not exactly like he did then, so Jamie doesn’t sigh in relief, even when Jack smiles first. No matter what the rest of Jack looks like, there’s still a certain flatness in his eyes, a certain darkness that seems to lurk under his skin, even if the aura of shadows is gone and his sclera are white again. His relief shouldn’t be vocalized yet, but he does allow himself to feel it. Jack is getting better faster and faster these days.  
  
“How’ve you been?” Jack asks. “I can stay as long as you want me to tonight. Pitch is too busy to notice I’m gone anymore. Not that I can see any results of what he’s doing.” His laugh after he says this is uncertain, as if he’s still remembering how to and what things might be funny.  
  
“I’ve been pretty good,” Jamie says. “Got my driver’s license.” He’s been better than good, actually. Everything and everyone has just been getting better and better since Jamie, disbelieving that Jack could have joined forces with Pitch, had greeted him happily on that night two years ago, before noticing that he looked a whole lot different and was leading a nightmare by an ice bridle into his room. It had been an accident on Jamie’s part, but it had made Jack hesitate.   
  
“Are you glad to see me?” He had asked in a hollow voice.  
  
And despite being terrified then, Jamie had answered, yes. And Jack had tried to smile. And left, taking the nightmare somewhere else.  
  
After that, Jack had kept coming back, and Jamie, out of bravery? for the sake of old memories? had kept up his friendly demeanor.   
  
And Jamie had noticed that both the darkness around Jack seemed to be receding and that everyone—absolutely everyone—that he met or saw regularly seemed happier. Which was amazing, since for five years no one had ever seemed really happy at all. So for everyone’s sake—in particular, his sister’s—he never told Jack to leave, or let him know that he was freaking him out.  
  
Soon, enough of Jack’s darkness had dissipated so that Jamie could see hints of the Jack he had so hoped to see that first night, and he was grateful to find he was not faking his friendship anymore.  
  
And now? Now that friendship was stronger than ever. It had even, Jamie had realized with some alarm, begun to grow into love.  
  
He’s not about to tell Jack any of that tonight. Maybe later, when he’s better. When his eyes shine again like Jamie remembers. He can continue to help him, can’t he? He’s gotten this far.  
  
“Cool.” Jack says. “Any good stories?” Jamie can tell he’s a little desperate when he asks. Any stories Jamie can manage about having fun seem to help him. Jamie made up plenty for him in the beginning, when times were still bad.  
  
He’ll have to make up one now. He had been incredibly careful while learning to drive, knowing the responsibilities he had taken upon himself. “So there I was,” he begins, “driving behind this truck full of tomatoes…”  
  
 _I am going to drag you back from the pit. I am going to drag us all back from the pit._

**Author's Note:**

> Comments from Tumblr:
> 
> psyaotic reblogged this from gretchensinister and added:  
> This was such a bittersweet story. Stories of healing always get me, and now these two are especially close to my heart. It was just a few words, half a page? Two thirds? Yet it was perfect, I would love so much more but what I do have is so special because it’s so short. I’ve found myself drawn to shorter novels and stories of late and this is a good example why. Authors like you Gretchen can convey so much feeling and emotion in such a tiny snippet and it becomes like a memory, a glimpse into this complete other world without unnecessary lengths of exposition and worldbuilding. Short and sweet, there’s just something about it that leaves me feeling more complete than reading a big long tome. And Gretchen you’re pretty much my favourite short story author because yours just come alive. Thank you for sharing this piece.


End file.
